Clinically detectable neurological abnormalities, such as reduced reflexes and an unstable posture, may predict risk of death in otherwise healthy older adults even if these signs are subtle.
A previous study has linked subtle neurological abnormalities-which also include resting tremors and differences in hand strength-to poor physical function and to falls.In addition, other studies of apparently healthy older individuals have shown that those with subclinical diseases of different organs, such as subtle signs of heart trouble that have not yet led to a heart disease diagnosis, are more likely to become physically or mentally impaired.
Marco Inzitari, M.D., of the University of Florence, Italy, and colleagues studied 506 individuals (average age 72.5) who did not have neurological disease beginning in 1995.
A neurological examination was administered then and again four years later. Deaths and cerebrovascular events, such as stroke, were tracked for an average of eight years.
At the beginning of the study, 59 percent of the participants had at least one subtle neurological abnormality, with an overall average of 1.1 per individual.
After adjusting for age and sex, an increasing number of such abnormalities were associated with more severe disabilities, more symptoms of depression and declining cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) and functional status. Compared with individuals who had fewer than three subtle neurological abnormalities, those who had three or more subtle neurological abnormalities were more likely to die or experience a cerebrovascular event over eight years.
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"It is likely that the neurological examination might capture additional information about the integrity of the nervous system in apparently healthy older adults," they added.
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Source-ANI
RAS/L
